Despite knowing of the “progressive” (actually socialist) domination in most American colleges and universities, I was shocked at the absolute fantasy worldview presented in Brandeis University Professor Kuttner’s article (as described in Tom Dawson’s letter of 4/8/15). Parents who pay for their children to be “educated” by such professors are being cheated, as are their children.

Aside from factual errors such as “higher education was free” in the 1950-60s and other false Democrat Party talking points, Kuttner’s article is simply a partisan attack against Republicans and promotion of socialist ideas which have never improved the lives of most people. In fact, socialist governments created poverty and suffering for billions of people, and murdered at least 100 million people.

Six years of President Obama’s policies interfering in our economy in ways that Kuttner approves have created a stagnant economy which is disastrous for most Americans. Median incomes are down about 4 percent while taxes and the cost of living increased, middle class wealth is down by about 40 percent, a lower percent of our people are actually working, and more Americans live in poverty and need government assistance to survive. But, Obama’s policies have done very well for rich people.

For all my life “progressive” policies have made the rich richer but most Americans poorer. Politicians who really cared about non-rich Americans would abandon “progressive” policies.

In his April 3rd letter, Dave Pollak points out what has really hurt the American middle class, “Good American jobs have been lost in the manufacturing sector in steel, automobile, textile, electronics, and more.” This fact is totally ignored by Kuttner (and Dawson).

The inevitable competition from European and Asian countries which rebuilt after WW2 does not fully explain the loss of so much of American industry and thus good American jobs. Government regulations, taxation, and other government intervention along with poor union and corporate decisions are major factors in the loss of American industry and jobs.

Government regulations add an average of 15 percent (usually more in manufacturing) to the cost of American goods and services. Excessive and wasteful regulations along with bureaucratic delays made many American industries non-competitive, forcing reduced wages, lost jobs, or both. (E.g., the multi-year hold-up of the Keystone XL pipeline; pay-offs to billionaire contributors Buffett and Tom Steyer and others) prevents creation of many good jobs, increases our energy costs, and reduces the safety of transporting oil which will be used whether there is a pipeline or not.)

High U.S. corporate taxes incentivize overseas investment, especially to supply foreign markets, and make bringing overseas profits home a bad business decision. Profits, which could be brought home and used to create jobs or pay taxes or stockholders, remain overseas.

Despite spending many billions of dollars, our increasingly poor education system and our 50 federal job-training programs fail to provide a labor force qualified for many American jobs. And, millions of legal and illegal, low-skilled, immigrants compete for the jobs which poorer skilled Americans need to learn the skills that allow them to get ahead.

For the first time in American history in the last few years more businesses have closed than have been created. America cannot have a healthy, growing, prosperous middle class without strong economic growth.

The return to prosperity for all Americans requires returning to policies that actually work to promote economic growth and wealth creation.

Instead of class warfare, successful people should be identified as role models for everyone to want to emulate.

Instead of demonizing job creators and implementing economic policies that drive businesses and good jobs overseas, we need policies that encourage more people to work to become rich by building successful businesses which create good jobs.

Instead of locking children in failing schools, we must offer parents the ability to direct the taxpayer money provided for children’s education to the schools of their choice.

Instead of welfare policies that punish employment and split up families, leading to crime, drug abuse and more poverty, we need policies that keep families together and encourage work. President Clinton, other Democrats, and Republicans heralded the overwhelming success of “Clinton’s” welfare reforms; President Obama abandoned many of those key reforms locking millions in poverty.

Americans aren’t struggling because our country isn’t socialist enough. Americans are struggling because our big, out of control government kills jobs, drives up Americans’ cost of living, infringes on our freedoms, steals our opportunities, and makes it difficult for people, especially poor people, to learn the skills and get the jobs that enable their success.

Unfortunately Democrats have been joined by progressive Republicans (and some Republicans who surrendered to avoid charges of racism, hate, sexism, greed, etc.) in enacting the beneficent sounding progressive, big government programs that have hurt so many Americans.

The TEA Party is the only movement fighting for every American, current and future, to have the freedoms, opportunities, and success for which so many Americans have sacrificed their lives. Join a TEA Party and help us return to government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Don Ewing
Meredith